Apparently that "poison pill" clause Sean Payton tried to have in his new contract where he could leave if Mickey Loomis left was in part due to Loomis being an intermediary between Payton and Rita. I don't remember where I read that, but she was not well liked.

I was at a law firm last night, for a cocktail party. True story, Rita walked right by me, and she was seething mad (I hadn't heard about the story yet). Well, she and one of the attorneys went into an office, and I never saw them again. I even mentioned to the people I was with that Rita seemed really upset about something. Whatever it was, it went down pretty suddenly. I mean, I have heard that she wasn't in Benson's good graces for the last few years, but this seems pretty dramatic. I bet it has as much to do with Gayle, as it does Rita.

Regardless, not a good look for our organization. Hope everything settles out ok.

Finally, when family members are involved, decision are always tougher. My family, as they have been their whole lives, will be very well taken care of, however, this is about making the correct decision as it pertains specifically to the future of the Saints and Pelicans and their long-term success in the city of New Orleans, where they belong.”

The Saints and Pelicans will remain under the same management structure, with Gayle Benson serving as owner; that has seen both teams prosper and grow. The management structure of having a small team of senior managers oversee both the Saints and Pelicans will remain in place. The executive level management will continue to be led by Dennis Lauscha (President) and Mickey Loomis (Executive Vice President/General Manager). The senior level management team will remain in place with Greg Bensel (Senior Vice President of Communications/Broadcasting), Jean-Paul Dardenne (Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships), Ben Hales (Senior Vice President of Marketing & Business Development), Ed Lang (Senior Vice President/CFO), Vicky Neumeyer (Senior Vice President/General Counsel) and Mike Stanfield (Senior Vice President of Sales).

“Continuity is very important and this plan ensures that,” Benson said. “We have had the same management team in place that oversees both teams for a number of years. It has proven to be successful and it works. Dennis and Mickey will continue to run the operations as they have done day-to-day for the last 10 years or so. They consult with me daily, but they will continue to have the same authority they have always had with making decisions, large and small and this will continue even when Gayle becomes owner. This is a good structure…the only difference is that my wife Gayle, will be in control of the Saints and Pelicans when I die, which I can assure you will not be anytime soon.”